How many of you have dreamed of becoming an archaeologist or a pirate and discovering hidden treasures? It’s the feeling of anticipation and excitement that makes us love adventure novels and movies about Indiana Jones. However, even everyday life can become fun if you look in the right direction.
Bright Side gathered for you 10 amazing stories about people who found treasures in the most unexpected places. Some of them inspired us to look more attentively at the things we own.
1. This original Jackson Pollock was bought for $5.
You never know what you might find in a thrift shop! In 1992, Teri Horton visited one of the local thrift shops in San Bernardino, California, as she was looking for a birthday present for her friend. She saw a painting, and, never being a true art expert, she offered only $5 to the seller for it. They shook hands, and she left. The big painting didn’t fit into any of her friend’s rooms, and she tried to sell it several years later.
During a yard sale, an art teacher said that the big painting she was trying to get rid of might be a masterpiece created by Jackson Pollock. She invited an expert to have her painting checked. The forensic specialist found the artist’s fingerprint on its canvas, so there were no doubts. One art collector offered Horton $2 million for the painting, but she refused to sell it and would accept no less than $50 million for it. We should add that she still owns the painting.
2. A man found an original copy of the Declaration of Independence in a $4 picture frame.
A man bought an old $4 painting at a flea market in Adamstown, Pennsylvania, in 1989, thinking the frame could be fixed and reused. When he removed the canvas, he saw a folded paper stuffed in it. He opened the document and couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw an original copy of the Declaration of Independence, dated 1776. The head of the book and manuscript department at Sotheby’s, David N. Redden, announced the unique discovery in 1991, but the lucky finder preferred to remain anonymous.
Later that year, the manuscript was auctioned for $2,420,000 at Sotheby’s. If only the seller at that flea market knew the fortune the painting was hiding inside, we bet he’d never have sold it
3. Depression-era currency was hidden in a bathroom wall.
When it’s time to redo the kitchen, any house turns into a complete mess with dusty floors and garbage bags put all over the place. However, there are cases where this rule doesn’t apply. In 2006, homeowner Amanda Reece invited contractor Bob Kitts to tear down the bathroom walls in her house in Cleveland.
When Bob was halfway through his job, he discovered 2 green metal boxes suspended inside a wall. Envelopes inside the boxes contained many rare bills from the 1920s. The Depression-era currency has been valued at approximately $180,000. How old is your house? Maybe it’s time to redo your bathroom?
4. The Roman Hoxne Hoard was discovered in a field by an amateur metal detectorist.
Retired gardener Eric Lawes was scanning a field in Suffolk, England, where his friend had lost a hammer. Instead of a hammer, he discovered the largest cache of Roman gold found anywhere in Britain. He reported his finds to the local authorities, and they organized a proper excavation of the treasure. They unearthed more than 14,000 items, including coins, rings, bracelets, magnificent silver objects, and other valuable things.
In November 1993, the Roman findings were valued at £1.75 million (that’s £2.66 million or $4.3 million today), which was paid to Eric Lawes as the finder of the treasure. Today the most valued and beautiful items discovered in the field are on display in the British Museum...as well as the hammer Eric Lawes was looking for.
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